Rabbi Yaakov Cohen grew up in New York and earned his Bachelors in Psychology, his Rabbinic Ordination and his Masters in Education and Administration; all from Yeshiva University. He now lives in Chicago, IL where he works as the Judaic Studies Principal of Akiba Schechter Jewish Day School and Educational Director at NCSY. Rabbi Cohen is a passionate educator and an inspiring speaker who has travelled throughout the country speaking for organizations, schools, synagogues and universities on a variety of topics and to audiences of various sizes and affiliations. Rabbi Cohen is a community leader and is actively involved with several local organizations and synagogues.

Martin Ingall is correct. R. Shlomo Aviner, head of Yeshivat Ateret Yerushalayim in the Old City, wrote "most beggars are swindlers...Ninety percent of people who ask for money today are swindlers....If a person was poor before he asked for money at the Kotel, after a day he would no longer be considered poor. They collect 1,000 shekels a day."If you ask police in the Old City who are familiar with beggars if the beggars are needy, they can tell you which beggars are alcoholics, which are drug addicts, which ones own apartments, which only shop in designer clothing stores when they are not begging, etc. R. Aviner wrote that when someone gives money to the Kotel area beggars, "they are not only not fulfilling the mitzvah of giving tzedakah, they lose out on the mitzvah to give tzedakah to truly poor people....Give to one, two or three trustworthy organizations." (Published 24 Marcheshvan 5068, archived at www.ateret.org.il/new/home.hp)

T.Y,
September 9, 2016 1:53 AM

Give me a break

(6)
Candice,
September 7, 2016 5:41 PM

wow

this was SO cool! I literally sent this video to everyone i know, and we all loved it so much

(5)
Esther,
September 7, 2016 5:39 PM

Heard it but gets better every time

I heard this from Aryeh gross! Aryeh is good friends with my cousin... What an amazing and miraculous story!! The way you tell it, the way the video was done and produced and with the powerful lesson- just incredible. thank you

I read your post twice and feel the pain in your words. It's true that we never can know what caused the miracle that this young couple experienced. In this case, being that both incidents happened at the same time, and that the dollar was the exact one the friend had given him, it would seem that there is a connection. G-d sent the beggar at exactly the "right" moment, and it seems that His reason was to give the injured man an extra merit that he needed to pull through.

Your second point, why all of us don't see miracles as a result of our good deeds, is also valid and often asked. There is a basic and fundamental principle in Judaism that no prayer goes unanswered. and that every good deed is rewarded. Sometimes this is immediate, sometimes it takes years to unfold, and sometimes we don't even see it in our lifetime, but the merit of our deed will save our child or grandchild. Sometimes waiting is to test us, as with Avraham and Sarah, who prayed for so many years for a child and didn't give up. Or the prayer we have prayed is not used for what we intended, as G-d has His own reasons, but it goes for something else. Once I saying Tehillim with all my heart that my friend's husband be saved from a serious illness. My children were outside at that exact time and came home and told me that one of them had dashed into the road and narrowly missed being run over. My friend's husband didn't recover, H-shem has His reasons, but my prayer surely did not go to waste. I was begging, "life, life!" and H-shem saved my little girl. Rav Mattisiayahu Solomon, in his book, "With Hearts Full of Faith", has a chapter "Unanswered Prayers", which I would highly recommend.

We are now in the month of Elul, beginning the 40 days of chesed and rachamin which end with Yom Kippur. May H-shem answer all your prayers, and the prayers of all Am Yisrael, and let's hope that everything goes smoothly and safely and we should never need miracles!

(2)
Bayla Sheva Brenner,
September 6, 2016 2:54 PM

Making a difference

A very powerful story and presentation. We underestimate the profound, far-reaching effect each one of us has in every moment of our lives. Thank you..

(1)
Gidon,
September 5, 2016 12:19 AM

Thank You

This was the perfect message for me at this moment. I have recently felt so discouraged and wondering if my efforts in Judaism are actually making a difference or not. This was the reminder I needed. Although we may not always know what kind of an effect our deeds have, stories like this show us that they, in fact have a major impact. Sometimes we get the privilege of seeing the impact, sometimes we don't. Whether it impacts the world spiritually or physically--- it always has one.This was so great, I want to thank you for inspiring me and anyone else who watches this.